Race Report: Amalfi Coast Trail, Napoli, Italy, 5th October 2013

This race report was sent in by Mandala Trail:

Organized by Mandala Trail, the third edition of the Lafuma Amalfi Coast Trail has just finished in Italy, near Naples. During one week, this race of 5 stages for a total of 85 km and 6000 m D+ allows racers (coming from Italy, France, Germany and Canada) to discover a fantastic place registered on the UNESCO world heritage: not only the wonderful landscapes but also the culture, the traditions and the gastronomy of this region. The route was very varied and technical with numerous staircases, wild trails, forest tracks, from the sea level to the summit of the coast, the Monte San Michele (1450 m), across olive and lemon trees and vineyards.

The first departure was given in the center of Amalfi, just under the Dome, in the middle of amazed tourists. Then the racers had the chance to pass by all the most famous places of the Coast : the fjord of Furore, the path of the Gods between Nocelle and Agerola, Praiano, the beach of Positano, the Monte San Michele with an incredible view on the bay of Naples, the Vesuvius vulcano, the gulf of Salerno, …

For the victory the French Guillaume Besnard, winner of the two first editions, has taken enough time during the two first stages to control the race afterward. He succeeds for the third time with a time of 8h50. At the second place the Italian Paolo Posocco (9h03) and third the Italian Luca Dalmasso (10h12).

For the women the French Alexia Jacquot has dominated the race from the beginning to the end to win the race with a time of 11h08, in front of the Canadian Julie Balderston (12h27) and the German Andrea Heschel (13h22).

But the Amalfi Coast Trail is not only a race. A day off was organized on the Capri island for in choice a ride to the top of the island (the Monte Solaro offering a wonderful view), a relax time in the beautiful beaches or some shopping in the smart stores. Cultural activities were also proposed : visit of a historic palace and the paper museum, factories of ceramic, traditional bread and liqueur, … And during this week the participants have enjoyed the gastronomic specialties.

In the same time a group of walkers made every day a part of the route supervised by a local guide and could cross and support the runners.

All the team of Mandala Trail is already waiting for you for the fourth edition in 2014, from 19 till 26 October. And if you want to discover another incredible place, don’t miss the Lafuma Volcano Trail in Sicily from 20 till 27 April 2014.